Rafael's Table

08/14/2026

Happy Birthday to the one and only Julia Child! 👩‍🍳🩷

She taught us not to fear cooking, not to take ourselves too seriously, and - most importantly - never to be stingy with the butter. 🧈🩷

Bon appétit, Julia. I hope wherever you are, the butter is plentiful and the wine is already open. 🩷

08/05/2026

Some days, the best recipe isn’t the one that takes the longest.

It’s the grilled cheese made after a hard day.

The pasta shared with someone you love.

The warm cookie eaten while it’s still too hot to hold.

Good food has never been about perfection.

It’s about creating moments worth remembering.

❤️ – Abbe

08/04/2026

🌾 The Top 10 Things I Learned About Life from My Sourdough Starter (a.k.a. Doughly Parton) ❤️

Yes... I named my sourdough starter Doughly Parton. 🤠🎶

No, I have absolutely no regrets.

What started as flour and water somehow turned into bread... and, unexpectedly, a few life lessons along the way.

Now I’m curious...

👇 What has your sourdough starter—or even just baking in general—taught you about life? I’d love to read your answers.

And if this made you smile, please:
❤️ Like this post
📤 Share it with a friend
👩‍🍳 Follow Rafael’s Table for more recipes, kitchen inspiration, and the occasional lesson from Doughly Parton.

07/17/2026

07/17/2026

✨ Dine Like A Royal: Breakfast Scones ✨

There is something magical about a warm scone.

Not the dry, hockey-puck versions that too many coffee shops serve, but a proper scone - light, tender, buttery, and just sturdy enough to cradle fresh strawberries and clouds of whipped cream.

These are the scones I taught in my cooking classes for years. The kind that disappear from the table before the tea has finished steeping. The kind that make people close their eyes after the first bite and say, “Oh my goodness.”

The secret isn’t fancy ingredients. It’s cold butter, a gentle hand, and resisting the urge to overwork the dough.

Today I’m sharing the recipe with you so you can bring a little bit of royal treatment to your own kitchen.

🍓 Fresh strawberries
🥛 Real whipped cream
🧈 Buttery homemade scones
☕ A hot cup of tea or coffee

That’s all you need for a breakfast that feels worthy of a palace.

The full recipe is in the photos. Save this post for your next weekend baking project, and if you make them, I’d love to see your results.

After all...

Every kitchen deserves a little royalty. 👑

07/10/2026

Several of you asked for the recipe, so here it is.

This is my Rafael’s Table version of Mrs. E. D. Craig’s Coconut Pound Cake, originally published in the 1966 cookbook from First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina.

I updated the measurements and directions for today’s baker, but the heart of the recipe is still Mrs. Craig’s.

If you make it, let me know what you think! ❤️

07/10/2026

In 1966, Mrs. E. D. Craig walked into First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina and handed over her recipe for Coconut Pound Cake.

She had no way of knowing that sixty years later, it would be inspiring someone in Nashville, TN.

That’s what I love about old church cookbooks. They aren’t celebrity recipes. They’re recipes from women who sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, brought casseroles to new neighbors, and made sure nobody left a fellowship meal hungry.

Today, we’re making my (slightly changed) version of Mrs. Craig’s Coconut Pound Cake.

Rich, buttery, filled with coconut, drizzled with a sweet glaze, and showered with toasted coconut on top.

Mrs. Craig, wherever you are, your recipe is still bringing people together. ❤️

See the recipe in the pinned comment below and in the next post.

07/02/2026

What could be more appropriate than starting off my recipe series with THE cookbook that started it all? 📖✨

Yes, folks, that’s right — The Little Witch’s Black Magic Cookbook was my OG. 🧙🎃

Let me take you back to 1972. Eight-year-old Abbe spots this little gem in her Scholastic Book Club flyer and just has to have it. For 95¢, she got a cookbook that would forever inspire her inner chef!🧑‍🍳🧡

For Abbe, the real magic was on page 31. That recipe, THAT RECIPE in particular, cast a spell on her!

🥜🥒 Pickled Peanut Butter Burgers🥒🥜

But these were not your average, run-of-the-mill sandwiches! Oh, no!

These were made on hamburger buns with butter on one side, peanut butter on the other, and pickle slices tucked in between.

It sounded a little strange.

It was a little strange.

But to 8-year-old Abbe, it was gourmet at its finest!!🧑‍🍳

Looking back, I think this little cookbook taught me something important: cooking should be fun, a little adventurous, and sometimes just plain quirky.

More than 50 years later, I’m still experimenting in the kitchen. So it seems only fitting that the first recipe in this series comes from the little cookbook that started it all. ✨

Now tell me... would you try a peanut butter and pickle burger? 👀🍔

06/11/2026

After a lot of life, a few detours, and more than a little uncertainty...

Apparently we’re both getting a second chance.

❤️ The rebirth of Rafael’s Table. Coming soon.

06/08/2026

Something delicious is stirring again...

After a season of change, Rafael’s Table is returning in a brand-new way.

Recipes. Stories. Kitchen inspiration. Small-batch seasoning blends. And a few surprises we’ve been creating behind the scenes.

From your kitchen to ours, we’ll be sharing recipes, cooking tips, flavor inspiration, and handcrafted products designed to help you inspire your inner chef - wherever you call home.

We’re not quite ready to lift the lid just yet, but we can’t wait to show you what’s cooking.

✨ Coming soon.